It’s easy to get a little jaded when it comes to heartwarming pick-me-up stories, but it’s actually impossible to be cynical about anything involving five hundred dollars, one man’s generous dying wish, and command to “order a f---ing pizza.”
When 30-year-old Kentucky resident Aaron Collins died, he left behind a will with a very specific request for his family. He wanted them to go out to dinner and “leave an awesome tip (and I don’t mean 25%. I mean $500 on a f---ing pizza) for a waiter or waitress.” According to his family, Aaron “was generous with the limited means he had” during his lifetime, and his awesome factor got upped by about a thousand percent when he chose waiters and waitresses to receive his generous payout (because let’s be real, we all know that waiters and waitresses get the s--- end of the stick when it comes to food industry shenanigans).
His family filmed themselves carrying out his dying wish and put the entire thing on YouTube, where it garnered such a reaction that thousands of people began donating money to make Aaron’s wish come true again. And again. And again. The family was able to raise over $60,000 and plans to use the money to leave $500 tips in every single one of the fifty states. Quick recommendation: if you’re ever having a truly crappy day, do yourself a favor and watch a few of these videos back-to-back. You haven’t seen happiness until you’ve seen a minimum wage waitress in a regulation polo suddenly be gifted with $500 from well-meaning strangers, and it’s going to make you smile. Promise.
The entire collection can be found on the family’s website, and you can peep the most recent video below:
H/T + PicThx Eater